Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン, Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn?)[1] (often abbreviated to PGSM) is a tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai and the Kamen Rider Series.

PGSM came out exclusively in Japan. It ran from October 4, 2003 to September 25, 2004, and was a retelling of Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon's first major story arc, albeit with considerable plot divergences.

The theme music is called "Kirari*Sailor Dream!" and was performed by J-pop singer Sae. The lyrics were written by Takeuchi.

The series lasted 49 episodes (called "Acts"), and also included two separate made-for-DVD specials, for a total of 51 acts.

The broadcast originated from Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. Another 28 television stations in Japan retransmitted the series,[citation needed] though some of them were weeks behind the TBS schedule because they started airing the series late.

There are several radio programs called "DJ Moon" based on the show that originated from Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting radio and were broadcast on other radio networks in Japan. The shows were a combination of a radio drama and promotional tool for the TV series, often foreshadowing upcoming events. These shows were later sold on CD.

The live action broadcast's ratings were not as high as those of the original show. The show had a high start, but then the ratings slid. They picked up in January 2004 and then again at the end of the series.

In addition to the broadcast television show, there was also a stage musical performance by characters on the show. Some footage from the filming of the stage show was used in the television broadcast. There was also an instructional video released.

Plot

A great evil, consisting of Queen Beryl, her four generals, and an amorphous evil power named Queen Metaria attempt to steal energy so that Beryl can take over the world.

Standing in their way are the Sailor Senshi, five middle-school-aged girls: perky Usagi Tsukino, genius Ami Mizuno, paranormally gifted shrine maiden Rei Hino, tomboyish Makoto Kino, and J-pop idol Minako Aino; two beings that appear to be sentient stuffed cats (Luna and Artemis); and Tuxedo Mask, a jewel thief in search of a Silver Crystal.

Later in the series, Metaria and Sailor Moon each get too powerful to be reigned in, and the conflict shifts to attempting to postpone the inevitable destruction of the planet Earth. (It looks like Earth is plunged into darkness and not actually destroyed per se, but the effect is the same.)

Changes to storyRatings Snapshot from the Newtype USA magazine[citation needed] Act 14 January 10, 2004 - 4.0%[2]Act 15 January 17, 2004 - 3.2%Act 16 January 24, 2004 - 3.2%Act 17 January 31, 2004 - 4.7%[3]Act 18 February 07, 2004 - 3.8%Queen Beryl is one of the most consistent characters from series to series.Queen Beryl is one of the most consistent characters from series to series.

Although Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a retelling of the first manga story arc, there are many differences that set it apart from the manga and anime. The storylines are more character-based and driven, focusing on the girls' civilian lives and their connection to the past more than on action sequences. While the first few episodes seemed directly based on anime and manga story lines, by the time Sailor Jupiter had arrived the show was starting to spin off in its own direction. Additionally, Usagi and Rei's relationship is closer in spirit to the manga; while they have their disagreements, it never gets to the heated level that it does in the anime.

One of the largest changes was to the character of Minako Aino, who, rather than being an ordinary girl among the other Senshi, is a famous pop idol. When introduced, she is fighting crime under the alias "Sailor V" (as in the other versions), and makes subtle reference to this double life in her music. Her most popular song, "C'est La Vie" (French for "That's Life!"), is a Japanese pun. In Japanese, the pronunciation of "Sailor V" (セーラーＶ [seːɺaːbwi]) is nearly identical to the Japanese pronunciation of "C'est La Vie." The song has an insouciant and uplifting tone, while the real phrase is a reminder that life can be harsh. For more information, see Minako Aino - In the live-action series.

In addition to plotline changes, some updating has been done to minor elements of the series, making them more in line with modern culture. For example, in the original anime and manga, there were scenes involving Ami and a cassette tape. In the new version, the tape is replaced by a MiniDisc. Instead of a transformation pen and communicators, each Senshi is given a magical camera phone and bracelets. Also, their secret hideout is not hidden in a video arcade, but rather in a magic karaoke room.

With the new adaptation of the show, certain characters were modified to give it freshness and originality. New aspects and forms include Sailor Luna, Dark Sailor Mercury, and Princess Sailor Moon. A new antagonist is also introduced: Mio Kuroki.

Mio Kuroki

Mio Kuroki (Kuroki Mio), played by Alisa Yuriko Durbrow, is a strange and manipulative girl who joins Usagi's class at school. She is a fellow pop idol and thus has a rivalry with Minako Aino. She pretends to be Usagi's friend while doing all in her power to cause her sadness. Because of her forgiving nature, however, Usagi continually gives Mio extra chances. Mio soon becomes very envious of Usagi's closeness to Mamoru and fakes fainting in front of his motorcycle in order to kidnap him and take him to Queen Beryl. There, Mio taunts Mamoru, telling him that Beryl will kill him if he does not join the Dark Kingdom and become Beryl's lover.

Mio is revealed to be created from a part of Queen Beryl herself, apparently to do harm to Usagi. After kidnapping Mamoru, her main role is to keep an eye on him for Beryl. The only powers of her own she demonstrates are slight mind control powers, and teleportation, of both herself and others.

Toward the end of the series, Mio is apparently killed by Endymion/Metaria; she is somehow resurrected, however, as the main villain of the "Special Act". Once again, she kidnaps Mamoru, this time wanting to marry him so they can rule a new Dark Kingdom as King and Queen. She is confronted and attacked by the Shitennou, forcing her to transform into a plant-like monster that makes quick work of her former allies. Ultimately, her final form is destroyed by the Senshi's combined powers, channeled through the Moon Stick in the Sailor Planet attack.

After her revival for the Special Act, she seems to gain new powers. She can repair objects, cause them to appear out of thin air, and create monsters from flames. She can also summon legions of perriots, or clowns, to serve her and gather energy, even creating replicas of the Shitennou. Mio is also able to brainwash others and transform into a plant-like monster. At one point she interrupts a television broadcast to announce that she is taking over.

Special items

A number of magical items, unique to the live action series, were introduced over the course of the story. These include:

* Jewelery Star Bracelet - A transformation item; each of the Guardian Senshi has her own. These bracelets allow them to transform into Sailor Senshi. When Sailor Mercury was turned into Dark Sailor Mercury, her bracelet also changed in appearance and was known as the Dark Jewelery Star Bracelet. They vanished when the Silver Crystal was destroyed. * Heart Moon Necklace - Sailor Moon's transformation device which she uses in conjunction with a tube of lipstick to transform. This turns into a brooch when she is Sailor Moon. It vanished when the Silver Crystal was destroyed. * Sailor Star Tambo - An attack item resembling a tambourine; each of the Guardian Senshi has her own. Together with Sailor Moon, these items enable the Senshi to use the "Moonlight Attractive Attack" and the "Sailor Planet Attack." Not all of them need be present to use these combined attacks. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury are shown using theirs for named attacks — "Jupiter Thunderbolt" and "Mercury Aqua Storm" — which are unique to the live-action series. They can also be used for an unnamed attack that launches star shapes. In the final episode and the Special Act, the Tambos are turned into weapons — a Mercury Sword, Jupiter Spear, and Mars and Venus Daggers. * Princess Sword/Princess Harp - Princess Sailor Moon conjures this sword to fend off attacks and perform a powerful blow in the form of a star. It also turns into a harp, that she uses to play for her sorrow, and sometimes to heal people and other living things, including plants. * Decoy Silver Crystal - A crystal which Sailor Venus wore in a tiara in her hair during the early part of the series, when she was impersonating the Princess. She had many, in fact, and could cause them to explode at will. In particular, in Act 20, Nephrite fell victim when a fake Silver Crystal exploded in his hands. * Teletia-S - A magical cellphone given to each of the Senshi. They can be used to contact more than one person at once, and are the PGSM version of Sailor Moon's transforming pen. Each Senshi can use her phone to take a picture of a person (or even a mannequin) and, later, turn her own clothes into the selected outfit. Human Luna also carries one, which she uses to turn into Sailor Luna. Luna's cellphone is called Lunatia-L. * Crown Passport - The girls use karaoke passes, conjured by Luna, to enter their secret base (also conjured by Luna) in Crown Karaoke. The cards purport to be year-long passes to use the karaoke booths so that the Sailor Senshi can get into the base for free. When he first sees them, however, Motoki asks "We give one-year passes?" but then shrugs it off. * Moonlight Stick - A type of weapon used by Sailor Moon and Sailor Luna. They are similar in appearance to the Moon Stick that appears in the manga and anime series, but the crescents attached to them are made of crystal rather than gold. Sailor Moon uses hers for most attacks, and Sailor Luna uses hers in her only one. Luna also changes her stick into other objects on occasion, including a paper fan, golden fan, and net. * Spirit of the Senshi - A sword that only appears in the Special act. It is capable of restoring the Senshi's lost powers by restoring their henshin items, however they vanish again after one use. It is also good for combat.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Special Act

A sequel to the series, set four years later, that portrays the wedding of Mamoru and Usagi (which, in the anime, is first shown in the Dark Moon arc of Sailor Moon R). Before their nuptials they must do battle with Mio Kuroki who has been resurrected and claims to be the new queen of the Dark Kingdom. She kidnaps Mamoru and Usagi and forces Mamoru to marry her. However, the Shitennou are revived and help their master to defeat Mio's youma, Sword and Shield. Meanwhile, the Sailor Senshi, minus Sailor Mars who is bedridden with injuries from battling Mio while in her civilian state, use the Moon Sword provided by Queen Serenity to restore their power, enabling them to transform and defeat Mio. The story ends with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding. This act is an hour long, twice as long as all the other acts.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Act Zero

The last special made for the series is a prequel of sorts that leads directly to the first episode. In it we see how Minako Aino met Artemis and became Sailor V on Christmas. She must use her newfound powers to foil a stage magician/jewel thief called Q.T. Kenko and his Killer Girl assistants. Meanwhile Usagi and her friends decide to dress in their own homemade sailor fuku in order to scare the thieves away from the jewelry store owned by Naru Osaka's mother, (Usagi as Sailor Rabbit, Naru as Sailor N, and their other friends, Kanami and Momoko as sailors K and M) only for Usagi to get kidnapped by Kenko. The actors who portray the Shitennou are featured as the inexperienced police officers group self-dubbed the "Police Shittenou" for comic relief: Captain Shiroi (Kunzite), Officer Akai (Nephrite), Officer Kuroi (Zoisite), and female Officer Hanako (Jadeite). The story ends with Luna coming to Earth, feeling the burn of hitting the atmosphere, in order to give Usagi her powers.

Mini-episodes

Act Zero also comes with two mini-episodes. Each one is approximately five minutes long and tells a quick short story. Hina Afterward shows what happened to the character of Hina after breaking off her engagement with Mamoru Chiba. Tuxedo Mask's Secret Birth shows the origin of the Tuxedo Mask persona. It includes a joke-henshin sequence in which, rather than transforming magically, he pulls his clothes on with dramatic flair.

Super Dance Lesson

A quick video hosted by Luna, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon, that instructed the viewer how to perform the dances from different songs from PGSM. The dances included were for the songs "Romance" and "Here We Go! -Shinjiru Chikara-" Also demonstrated were "C'est La Vie~ The Loving Part Inside me" and "Kirari*Sailor Dream!" although no formal instructions were given on how to dance to them.

Kirari Super Live!

This is DVD footage of the live-stage show of the same name. Kirari Super Live featured the actors and actresses from the show singing and dancing to the various songs from the show. This is a recording of the Special Live Event that occurred on May 2, 2004 at Yomiuri Hall. This Special Event was held for the 1,000 winners of the Sailormoon Campaign (a contest held earlier in the year, in which you had to send in UPC symbols to enter). The Special includes appearances by the actors and actresses, song numbers, and dramas. The songs are mixed among the story line. The Shitennou plot to kidnap Luna and the Senshi must save her.

Episode listTV episodes[4]Act # Episode title Air date1 "I am Sailor Moon!" October 4, 20032 "Ami Became a Friend" October 11, 20033 "The Third Senshi is Miko Rei" October 18, 20034 "Sneaking Into the Party!" October 25, 20035 "Is Usagi a True Friend?" November 1, 20036 "The Transfer Student is Sailor Jupiter" November 8, 20037 "He Saw Me Transforming!" November 15, 20038 "Rei and Her Father" November 22, 20039 "I'll Protect the Illusion Silver Crystal" November 29, 200310 "I am Queen Beryl, Queen of Darkness" December 6, 200311 "We Got to Meet the Real Minako!" December 13, 200312 "Sailor V's True Identity was the Princess!" December 20, 200313 "The Last of the Shitennou, Kunzite, Appears" December 27, 200314 "Usagi is Turning into a Youma?" January 10, 200415 "I'll Punish the Thief!" January 17, 200416 "I Must Save Osaka!" January 24, 200417 "Minako Transforms in Front of Rei's Eyes" January 31, 200418 "At Last, All Five Sailor Senshi are Together" February 7, 200419 "Usagi's Heart-Pounding Valentine" February 14, 200420 "Hina was Mamoru's Fiancée" February 21, 200421 "What Did You Do to Ami!?" February 28, 200422 "Ami Becomes an Enemy" March 6, 200423 "In Order to Awaken Her Senshi Powers, Rei Sings" March 13, 200424 "I Can't Forget About Mamoru Chiba After All" March 20, 200425 "So Tuxedo Mask's True Identity was Mamoru Chiba" March 27, 200426 "Usagi is the Real Princess!" April 3, 200427 "Luna Became a Sailor Senshi!" April 17, 200428 "Welcome Back, Ami!" April 24, 200429 "Minako's Rival, Mio Kuroki, is a Transfer Student?" May 1, 200430 "Mio Deceives Usagi" May 8, 200431 "Jupiter Awakens Her Senshi Powers!" May 15, 200432 "Mamoru Came Back" May 22, 200433 "Ami is Changing Schools?" May 29, 200434 "A Mother-and-Daughter Talk" June 5, 200435 "Sailor Venus and Zoisite are Working Together?" June 12, 200436 "Princess Sailor Moon Appears!" June 19, 200437 "The Princess Will Cause a Catastrophe!?" June 26, 200438 "Believe Me! I Definitely Won't Destroy the Planet!" July 3, 200439 "Usagi's Mother's Challenge as a Reporter!" July 10, 200440 "Minako vs. Rei - Where's the Battle?" July 17, 200441 "Actually, I'm a Senshi!" July 24, 200442 "I Won't Use the Power of the Illusion Silver Crystal!" July 31, 200443 "Usagi and Mamoru's Promise" August 7, 200444 "Zoisite Turned Back into a Stone" August 14, 200445 "Youma Metaria's Violent Attack" August 21, 200446 "Sailor Venus Awakens Her Senshi Powers" August 28, 200447 "Goodbye, Minako" September 4, 200448 "Mamoru is Captured by Metaria!" September 18, 2004Final "The Five Sailor Senshi Surpassed Their Previous Lives" September 25, 2004Direct-to-videoAct title Release dateSpecial Act "We're Getting Married!" November 24, 2004Act Zero "The Story Before the Birth of Sailor V" March 25, 2005Act Zero "Tuxedo Mask's Birth Special" March 25, 2005